Film-lubricating device



N. POWER.

FILM LUBRICATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19. 1916.

Patented May 10, 1921.

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FILM LUBRICATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9. 1916.

1,877,727. Patented y 10,1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NICHOLAS POWER, OF BROOKLYN, PANY, OF NEW YORK,

FILM-LUBRICATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 19, 1916. Serial No. 104,532.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS POWER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Film-Lubricating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to film lubricating devices for use in moving picture machines, film re-Winders, etc., to lubricate the margins of the film to prevent its sticking or binding in its passage through the projecting machine.

The standard motion picture film comprises a strip of tures to be projected along the center, and with its margins perforated to be engaged by the teeth of the feed sprockets of the projector. Thesensitive emulsion on the film is not intended to extend over the marginal portions which engage the feed devices of the projecting mechanism, but in applying the emulsion to the film it is impossible to prevent the emulsion occasionally spreading to the margins, with the result that the film frequently sticks at the projection aperture of the machine, damagmg the film and interfering with the exhibition.

In the running of the film through the machine this excess emulsion is scraped off, so that after the film has been run several times, the sticking no longer occurs. At the present time, however, when so much money is spent on the dramatic production of the picture the so-called first run films are used almost exclusively in the best class of theaters, where the delays incidental to the sticking of the film at the aperture are most obiectionable.

have found that if the margins of the film can be slightly lubricated so as to cover the adhesive surface of the emulsion on the margins film will pass through the machine with the same ease as the frequently run film. The application of the lubricant to the film presents a problem of some difliculty, as the lubricant must be applied to the margins only and not spread to the portion of the emulsion containing the picture.

My present invention relates to apparatus for applying the lubricant to the margins of celluloid having the pic with a film of lubricant, the new' the films while the film is being run, or while it is being re-wound, in such manner, that the margin, and the margin only, will receive lubricant.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated two embodiments of my invention, one as an attachment to the moving picture machine itself and the other as a part of the film re-winding mechanism.

In said drawings,

Figure 1 1s a rear elevation of a portion of a moving picture machine equipped with my invention;

F ig, 2 is a side elevation partly in section of a portion of the picture machine showing the gate closed;

Fig. 3 is .a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 vis a side elevation of a modified form of my invention;

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views on an enlarged scale of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1-3, which show my invention applied to a projecting mechanism, 1 indicates the frame of the machine having on its rear face the usual aperture plate 2 across which the film is fed by the intermittent feed mechanism of the machine. The

aperture plate is provided with marginal guides 3 for engaging the edges of the film to maintain proper registration between the pictures on the film strip and the aperture 4. The film is held against the aperture plate by means of so-called tension shoes 5 which are supported on the gate 6 hinged along the edge of the rear wall so as to be opened to receive the film, and closed and latched against the film after the machine is threaded.

The tension shoes 5 are provided with springs 7 which hold them against the film with sufiicient pressure to destroy the momentum of the film at the aperture and hold the film absolutely against vibration during the interval that the picture" is projects As the entire movement of the film takes place in less than one sixty-fourth of a second, the pressure on the film must be quite firm and produce substantial friction at the margins of the film.

As heretofore constructed, the tension shoes 5 have been provided simply with a smooth polished metal face to apply a uniform Patented May 10, 1921.

pressure to the length of film engaged and offer no irregularities to engage the perforations in the film. In 'my improved construction as shown in the above designated figures of the drawings, these tension shoes are provided with undercut longitudinal flanges 8 for detachably holdingthe edges of the film-engaging shoes 9, formed of compressed graphite. The shoes 9 are lnserted between the flanges of the tension shoes 5 from the top and are held against downward movement by means of stops at the lower ends of the tension shoes against which the end of the graphite shoe engages, whereby the graphite shoes will be held against the stop by the downward pull of the film.

I find on operation that falrly hard graphite containing a large percentage of clay will give excellent results under the normal pressure of the tension springs. The consistency of the graphite of course determines the quantity of lubricant applied to the margins of the film during its passage through the machine. With graphlte shoes of the relative thickness shown, many thousands of feet of film may be run before the shoes are sufiiciently worn to require replacement. By using the graphite shoes in the machine itself, the film is not only prevented from sticking while being run through the machine equipped with the graphite shoes, but is so lubricated by its passage through the machine as to be capable of use in a machine with ordinary metal shoes when next exhibited. v

Another feature of advantage in applying the ,graphite shoes to the machine is that the conduction of heat through the tension shoes is very materially reduced. The rear face of the gate around the margins of the aperture whlch are in the direct path of the light rays, become highl heated and with continuous metal contact rom the gate to the film, the film-engaging surfaces of the shoes also become heated to a degree to soften the emulsion and cause it to stick much more readily after the machine has been running a while than when the machine is first started, and the shoes are still cold. As graphite shoes are poor conductors of heat compared with metal shoes, the'film is protected in a large measure from excessive heat.

In the modification of the apparatus shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, I have shown my lubricating device applied'to a filmre-winding mechanism whereby film may be properly lubricated between the margins of successive exhibitions of the film.

In the re-winder, the machine on wh1ch are mounted for rotation on suitable bearings the shafts 21, 22, for the two reels. The shaft 21 is provided with a suitable brake 23 to apply an pitch and direction I rotation of the shaft 26 in the 29 indicates the base of adjustable resistance to the reel from which the film is to be wound. The shaft-22 is driven from a suitable hand-crank 24 through an intermediate driving gear, whereby it may be conveniently rotated to wind up the film as it is drawn ofi' of the other reel. Mounted on the base 20 between the two reels is a suitable bracket 25 rotatably supporting a shaft 26. Mounted on 29 projecting beyond the provi ing a pair of spaced bearings fora.

guide roller 32 over which the film passes from the delivery reel. The bracket 25 is also provided on the opposite side of the shaft bearings with a pair of similar arms extending toward the receiving reel and providing a pair of bearings for a second.

guide roller 33 over which the film passes before being wound on the receiving reel, the two guide rollers being positioned to effect an engagement of the margins of the film with the graphite disks of somewhat more than half the circumference of the graphite disks.

Fast on the shaft of the crank-handle 24 is a bevel-gear 34 engaging a similar gear on the end of an inclined shaft 35 extending to the shaft 26 of the graphite disks. The inclined shaft is provided at this end with a worm 36 engaging a worm wheel attached to the shaft 26, the engaging threads of the worm and worm wheel being of a to effect a very slow direction opposite to the direction of movement of the film, the purpose being to produce an even wear of the periphery of the graphite disks, so that they will maintain substantially circular form as they are reduced in diameter by being worn away.

The operation of this form of device will be obvious from an inspection of the drawings. The brake 23 applied tothe shaft f the delivery wheel is adjusted to apply the proper tension to the film, so that the amount of lubricant applied to the margin of the film may be varied as desired.

Before the film is run at' all it should be wound through the re-winder to lubricate its margins. Thereafter the film must be re-wound after each exhibition to bring its leading end to the outside of the reel and by'using the re-winder equipped with the no extra labor is relubricating device,

the film properly lubriquired to maintain cated.

In the drawings I have shown the graphite disks as about one and one half inches in diameter, but they may be larger, even several inches in diameter. As a thin layer ofth'e lubricant is all that is necessary, the disks of graphite will last a long period of time before being so reduced in size as to require renewal.

I claim:

1. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination of a film-feeding mechanism and means adjacent the path of the film for maintaining a piece of graphite against the marginal edges of the film as it is advanced by said feed mechanism.

2. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination of film feeding-mechanism, means for applying graphite to the margins of the film as it is advanced by said mechanism comprising a graphite holder and means for efi'ecting a firm contact between the film and the graphite.

3. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination of a pair of film-guiding devices, means for supporting a piece of graphite adjacent the film between the said film guides, means for holding the graphite against movement with the film, and means for effecting a predetermined pressure of the film against the graphite.

4. In a moving picture machine having a projection aperture, the combination of film-feeding devices for advancing the film a tension device for holdvibration at the apersaid tension deto the margins past the aperture, ing the film against ture, and means carried by vice for applying lubricant of the film during its passage through the machine.

5. In a moving picture machine the combination of a plurality of film-feeding devices for advancing the film through the machine, and means feeding devices for applying lubricant to the margins of the film in its passage between said devices.

6. In a moving picture machine having a projection aperture, the combination of filmfeeding devices for advancing the film past the aperture, a tension device for holding the film against vibration at the aperture, said device comprising a pair of graphite shoes, and means for pressing said shoes against the film.

intermediate said film- 7. In a moving picture machine having a proj ection aperture, the combination of filmfeeding devices for advancing the film past the aperture, a tension device for holding the film against vibration at the aperture,

said device comprising a bar extending parallel with the margin of the film adjacent the aperture, and means carried by said bar for detachably holding a graphite shoe on its face adjacent the film.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of New York this 16th day of June, 1916.

NICHOLAS POWER. 

